FOR ALMOST half a century, Dubbo resident Shirley O'Shea has been an faithful and active member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).
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In honour of her service, passion and dedication to the party during a period spanning more than 40 years, Mrs O'Shea was recently made an ALP lifetime member.
Mick O'Shea, her husband, is also a life member of the ALP and a past Australian Workers Union (AWU) organiser for western NSW.
Orana ALP member Joe Knagge praised Mrs O'Shea for her long service to the party.
He said she was made a lifetime member as a way to thank her for her ongoing work to the ALP.
"Shirley has been quite a brilliant cake decorator over the years," Mr Knagge said.
"She's decorated cakes which were raffled at the state conference and a lot of money has been raised as a result of all of her efforts."
Senator Matt Thistlewaite presented Mrs O'Shea with life membership at a function held at the South Dubbo Tavern, which was attended by about 30 of the "party faithful".
Mr and Mrs O'Shea said they were thrilled with the function and the acknowledgement.
"My parents were Labor faithful and I always believed Labor helped workers and were good in government," Mrs O'Shea said.
Other political parties were not her "kettle of fish", she said.
Mrs O'Shea said she used to help raise money for the ALP, assist on election day at polling booths and helped Labor candidates during an election.
Raffle tickets, auctioning her paintings, knitting and crafting were some of the ways she raised money.
The Daily Liberal asked Mrs O'Shea if there were any disappointments throughout her long involvement with the party.
"I don't have any," she said.
"I always believed in the party. Everyone makes mistakes, no one is perfect.
"There has never ever been a time I thought I wanted to change parties."
Living through the prime ministership of Bob Hawke, Paul Keating, Kevin Rudd and now Julia Gillard, she said, taught her to be a "strong and determined person", trusting the ALP leaders would come good.
Mrs O'Shea said Julia Gillard was doing a good job and she should be given a fair chance to govern.
"Instead of people constantly criticising her, why don't they let the government do their job and put Australia forward?" she said.
Mrs O'Shea strongly believed, despite Ms Gillard's lack of popularity with the electorate, she would win the next federal election.
"The Labor party will come up with good ideas to help people," she said.
"Julia will not give in because she is a determined person."
abanob.saad@ruralpress.com